Whether you’re trying to gain size, strength or both there are a few tried and true exercises that will get you there. Any coach worth his or her salt will tell you to stick to the basics, big compound lifts that put the muscle through its full range of motion while allowing you to move maximal weight. The problem is, for most gym goers, they’re choosing the right exercise but they’re making some mistakes which can not only hinder their progress but ultimately lead them down a path to injury.

First up is the squat. Referred to as the ‘King of All Exercises’ the squat is a fixture in almost every program. Yet, walk into any gym in the world and you’ll see people performing it wrong. One mistake that almost always slips under the radar is that little hip tuck that happens at the end of the movement. This is a common error on the deadlift as well. You’ll often see people throw their hips forward going into posterior pelvic tilt in an attempt to exaggerate lock out. Ditch the hip tuck from both of these movements and you’ll be glad you did when you avoid a potential injury down the road.

Next up is the barbell row. Perhaps one of the greatest back thickening exercises around, the row is a staple move that everyone should be doing. The mistake happening a lot with the row is improper hand placement. By simply moving your hands closer together you’ll be able to not only stay tighter, but also get much stronger contractions and recruitment from the muscles you’re trying to train.

You also have to adjust your elbow positioning otherwise you’re moving out of the scapular plane and putting yourself at risk of getting shoulder dysfunction. By narrowing the grip you are not only able to stay in the scapular plane but you’re also able to maintain overall tightness plugging up strength leaks and allowing you to lift more weight.

While there are a million variations of this great exercise the error pops up in almost all of them. It has nothing to do with what implement you use or even how much you swing the weight…but don’t swing the weight! The mistake made on the lateral raise goes straight to hand positioning. We’ve all been taught to ‘poor out the pitcher of water’ when doing lateral raises. That is, start with the thumbs up and then lower them at the top of the movement.

The problem is, that motion does nothing to stimulate the medial delts and serves almost no purpose but to put your shoulder into impingement. Instead of doing this the old school way, do your shoulders a favor and point your thumbs up. Not only will you receive the same benefits but you’ll also keep your shoulders safe and functioning properly. Shoulders take a beating in the iron game, there’s no reason to go out of your way to beat them up even more!

As we come to a close on our list of the 7 mistakes made on common exercises we narrow in on the triceps. One of my favorite exercises for hitting the triceps is the lying triceps extension. This also happens to be the one that people mess up the most. The error in this movement comes right out of the gate at the starting position. Typically people will begin with their arms perpendicular to the floor which is the perfect angle for gravity to pass right through and put almost 0 stress on the muscle. You’ve probably noticed when you perform this exercise that you’re able to stay at the top position with almost not effort… that’s why!

The fix here is simple enough but once you apply it, you’ll never feel the same about this exercise. By moving your arms slightly close towards the floor you are able to start the movement with the triceps in a fully contracted position with all the weight (courtesy of our friend gravity) applying force on the intended target.. your triceps! From there perform the movement as you normally do but make sure to keep your arms at their new angle and not move them parallel to the force of gravity…. not unless you’re looking for some rest!

Last up is one of the single best exercises fro training the core. The ab wheel. Sure, it started off ‘As seen on TV’ but the ab wheel is one implement that the TV salesman got right! Anyone that’s been training for any length of time has been told to keep their back flat. It’s a cue you’ll hear a lot when training and it’s generally a good rule of thumb. When it comes to the ab wheel however, that is the exact opposite of what you want to do. Keeping your back flat on the ab wheel turns the movement into a bastardized hip hinge… not what we want to be doing here.

So there you have it guys, for more videos on the latest in exercise science based training, be sure to visit the link below to subscribe to our channel and don’t forget to turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published and check out my full workouts at athleanx.com.

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Jeff,Love all your videos & just want to thank you "AGAIN" for how your videos have changed my life... I am now looking for bigger & better things all because you've given me the tools to do so through your videos...You really do inspire me, as you do many other people around the world so "THANK YOU"....

ATHLEAN-X™ .I'm in 9th grade trying to put on muscle in the gym but I'm running track at the same time . Is sprinting and cardio going to stop me from putting on muscle even if I lift after my track workout ? I watch your videos all the time and they're super helpfulThanks

Thanks for putting these videos on Youtube. I've learned much from watching them. I've had a few moments in my life good and bad which caused me to miss a few years of weight lifting. So now, even though I feel like I'm back to square one, it's exciting again to learn more about improving my health and body. Thanks Jeff!

Awesome info, especially for the shoulders. You're so right about a slight chanfe in how you grip the bar makes all the difference. Your video was very informative, in depth, extremely helpful and I thank you! 💪🏽💪🏽

Love your work Jeff I incorporate most strength and stability exercises, it works wonders once muscle memory kicks in. However, I've noticed that you haven't done a segment crossfit workouts and exercises for strength and form. I hope you do.

Agree with everything except the laying tricep extension. If you want to move maximal weight, you can't do 100% time-under-tension. You'll get stronger with the technique, but also fatigue faster and be forced to use lower weight (for whatever the rep scheme is).(side note: I'm of the powerlifting persuasion, but open to all forms of training if there's value and merit.)

Question. Do I need to use the big plates for Deadlifts? Or can I use smaller plates. I asked this because Im a beginner and I thought that I cannot lift bigger plates yet, but I also thought that if I use smaller plates I might mess up my form and destroy my lower back... Thanks in advance.

1. SQUAT , straight back up & down2. DEADLIFT , get to a vertical position coming up3. AB WHEEL ROLL OUT , take out hip flexors.. avoid overextension , do not rock back and forth, let upper body do everything4. TRICEPS EXTENSION , elbows angled backwards , fight against the force of gravity , do not extend triceps in a vertical position5. LATERAL RAISES , keep thumb higher than the pinky , avoid “pouring the pitcher” & avoid the pinky being higher than the thumb6. OVERHEAD SHOULDER PRESS , do not widen your arms on the bar, have your arms at a 45’ degree angle from straight horizontal , narrow up the grip on the bar , you’ll find yourself stronger here7. BARBELL ROW , do not go extra wide on the bar , get arms abducted tightly on your sides , get arms narrow on the bar(hopefully this helps, i usually see funny comments instead of what’s going on in the video)

When I bend a bit more back in a deadlift, I feel more squeezing in my lower back and I feel good. Well, the squeezing is not that much like an idiot would do, but a bit is helping me to feel more in the lower back and actually getting stronger. Now I do not know about the benefit. Do I crack my lower spine more than I have benefits?